Big Brothers Big Sisters Utah MATCHes KIDS TO MENTORS

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah (BBBSU) started in 1978 as Big Brothers of Greater Salt Lake. In the early 1980s, they joined with the national organization and started working more with the girls.

According to their 2011 fact sheet, the mission of BBBSU is “to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change a child’s life for the better, forever.”

To accomplish their mission, BBBSU starts their process after receiving a referral from someone. It may be a parent, a teacher, a counselor or the Division of Child and Family Services. The organization then conducts extensive interviews with the children, the parents and the person volunteering to be a “Big.” The questions include what the child wants in a role model, what the family wants and what kinds of hobbies and interests the child has. The Big is also asked about hobbies and interests and is required to pass a background check. The Big and Little are then matched based on similar interests.

Linda Schott, marketing and P.R. coordinator, said that real success comes from “having a relationship that extends beyond our program.” She cited one Big/Little team that had been together for 11 years. During that time, the Little had gone through some dramatic family changes, but her Big was a constant in her life.